BT Infographics
US$?
Captain America:
Civil War
2016
US$m
US$760m
Deadpool
2016
Edgar Wright,
the original
director of
Ant-Man,
leaves the
production
due to
“creative differences” with
the studio and is replaced
by Peyton Reed.
520
Ant-Man
2015
1,405
Avengers:
Age of Ultron
2015
170
Fantastic Four
2015
748
X-Men: Days of
Future Past
James Gunn,
whose
highestgrossing film
to date then
had only
drew in less
than half a million dollars, is
tapped to direct Guardians
of the Galaxy, which turned
out to be a critical and
commercial success.
2014
714
Captain America:
The Winter Soldier
2014
709
The Amazing
Spider-Man 2
2014
770
Guardians of
the Galaxy
2014
1,220
Iron Man 3
2013
Chris Evans
retracts his
previous
statements,
where he
said he will
retire after
his Marvel contract expires in
favour of directorial work.
645
Thor: The Dark World
2013
415
The Wolverine 2013
758
The Amazing
Spiderman
2012
Scarlett
Johansson
replaces
Emily Blunt
as the Black
Widow,
which one
writer called “interesting” as
“Scarlett actually screen-tested
for the role and didn’t get it”.
1,520
Marvel’s
The Avengers
2012
130
Ghost Rider
2012
Film director
Jon Favreau
lobbies hard
for Robert
Downey Jr to
be cast in the
lead role,
despite “being rejected
multiple times” by the studio
due to Downey’s past drug
10
and alcohol habits.
Punisher: Warzone
354
X-Men: First Class 2011
450
Thor
Ever since Marvel released its cinematic universe in
2008 with the critical and commercial success that
was Iron Man, the 12 films it has released to date - not
including Civil War - has grossed more than US$9.08b
worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Three of the
films, Marvel’s The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron
and Iron Man 3, are among the top 10 highest-grossing
movies of all time.
The tapestry of intertwined characters that Marvel
had weaved also led Disney to greenlight a multiverse
expansion into the small screen, with properties like
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Agent Carter and Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. sharing the same canonical universe as
that of the big screen.
Meanwhile, DC had its own string of successes as
well - until it didn’t. While Christopher Nolan’s The
Dark Knight trilogy was a resounding critical and
commercial success, with a combined US$2.46b gross
and eight Oscar nominations with two wins, the films
that came after it weren’t.
Caught playing catch-up, the post-Christopher Nolan
DC placed its fortunes in the hands of the polarizing
Zack Snyder - who’d directed the equally polarizing
Watchmen in 2009 - and scrambled to lay the
foundation of its own multiverse with the 2013
Superman reboot, Man of Steel. While the film
received mixed reviews, it was a commercial
success, grossing US$668m worldwide against a
US$225m budget.
More crucially, Man of Steel provided Warner Bros.
with the conviction it needed to greenlight and
fast-track an ambitious slate of 10 other films –
including Batman v Superman – through 2020.
While Batman v Superman did well at the box office
– it grossed US$854m globally, according to Box Office
Mojo – it wasn’t quite the hole-in-one that WB would
have hoped for. Critical reception was muted, with
one critic calling it “an okay movie that prioritizes
shared universe set up over developing a coherent
story and layered characters”. That being said, it’s still
full-steam ahead for DC and Marvel alike.
A war is being fought; a war of spandex-clad
superheroes and copious amounts of computergenerated effects.
With more than 15 feature films in various stages of
production slated to premiere in the next four years,
it’s a great time to be a moviegoer.
2011
370
Captain America 2011
623
Iron Man 2
Ryan
Reynolds
met his wife,
Blake Lively,
on the set of
Green
Lantern.
2010
373
X-Men: Origins 2009
585
Iron Man 2008
2008
289
Fantastic Four:
Rise of the Silver Surfer
As Captain America: Civil War,
the 13th film in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, barrels into
theatres this week hot on the
heels of Warner Bros.’ Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice, The
Business Times charts the showdown between two comic-book
titans, Disney’s Marvel and
Warner Bros.’ DC.
854
Batman vs Superman:
Dawn of Justice
2016
263
The Incredible Hulk, 2008
2007
668
Man of Steel
2013
229
Ghost Rider
Taiwanese
filmmaker
Ang Lee is
brought on
to direct
Hulk, and the
end result
left critics and audiences alike
puzzled and disappointed.
890
Spiderman 3
2007
2007
57
Elektra
2005
459
X-Men: The Last Stand,
2006
331
The Fantastic Four 2005
129
Blade: Trinity
784
Spider-Man 2
2004
2012
220
Green
Lantern
2011
185 Watchmen 2009
1.005
The Dark Knight
2008
2004
50
The Punisher
2004
Hugh
Jackman
catches his
big break
on his heels
of his
critically
acclaimed performance in
the musical Oklahoma!
1.085
The Dark Knight Rises
245
Hulk 2003
408
X-Men United
179
Daredevil
2003
391
Superman Returns 2006
374
Batman Begins 2005
2003
822
Spider-Man
155
Blade II
2002
2002
296
X-Men 2000
131
Blade 1998
38
Howard the Duck
1986
Marvel
Studios
Other
Studios
Heath
Ledger, who
died from a
drug
overdose
during the
film’s post
production, was later
awarded the 2008
Oscar for Best
Supporting Actor.
267
Batman Returns 1992
411
Batman 1989
300
Superman 1978
DC
11
Jonah Hex
2010
Christopher
Reeve was
actually a
qualified
hang glider
pilot, which
made him a
“natural” when it came
82
Catwoman to the flying scenes.
2004
238
Batman and Robin
1997
14 Supergirl 1984
60 Superman III 1983
0.2 Swamp Thing I 1982
101 Superman II 1981
SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO, BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK,
THE NUMBERS
BT GRAPHICS: ANDREA LEE, RENALD YEO & SIMON ANG